While winning their third consecutive game, coach Dale Patterson's Golden Norse are 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference. The loss dropped the Wranglers to 1-4 in the league and 2-6 on the year.

"Anytime you can come across the Red River four times and return home with three victories you are really doing something," Patterson said. "I'm real proud of the way our kids fought all afternoon and this was a huge win for our program.

NEO returns to Robertson Field next Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown with eighth ranked Navarro College in the regular season finale for both teams. The winner will be assured of one of the top two spots and home field advantage in the post-season playoffs scheduled to start Saturday, Nov. 2. The top four teams in the SWJCFC advance to post-season.

Mitchem (6-2, 180 from Spiro) found veteran wide out Garrett Powell (6-0, 195 from Bartlesville) open on touchdown passes of 10 and 19 yards as the Golden Norse constructed a 14-7 lead through the first 15 minutes.

Trailing 7-0 midway through the first quarter, the Wranglers tied the score at 7-7 on a 39-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Travis Turner. Jacob Harler's extra point with 12:05 on the clock created a 7-7 tie.

Powell caught passes of 25 and 13 yards before hauling in a 19-yard TD pass with 7:05 left in the first quarter. Kevin King kicked the point-after to give NEO a 14-7 lead.

Just seven seconds into the second quarter, the Wranglers concluded a 64-yard, 10-play drive as wide receiver Kerry Sloan scored on a four-yard reverse. The PAT by Hurler produced a 14-14 tie.

NEO strong safety Devron Moore showed why he was selected 'Defensive Player of the Week' by the National Junior College Athletic Association with his fourth interception in the last two games. Moore (6-1, 180 from Carthage, Mo.) pilfered an errant Ross Hudson pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. The pass had ricocheted off Cisco receiver Terrell Smith's hands and Moore dashed down the middle of the field. King booted the extra point for a 21-14 Norse lead with 11:53 until halftime.

Golden Norse sophomore wide receiver Michael Thompson ran a deep post route on NEO's next possession. Mitchem hit him in stride for a 56-yard touchdown pass. The extra point by King with 8:50 left allowed the Norse to maintain a 28-14 halftime cushion.Thompson (6-1, 195 from Bartlesville) put the only points on the board in the third quarter with a nine-yard TD pass from Mitchem. King's extra point increased the NEO margin to 35-14 with 2:37 left on thew clock.

Cisco took advantage of an interception by middle linebacker Benson Chidster at the NEO 49-yard line to put points on the board. The Hudson-to-Terrell Smith duo clicked for a 35-yard touchdown pass with 11:21 left in the game. Hurler kicked the point-after for a 35-21 deficit.

Touchdown runs of seven yards by freshman tailback Casey Curtis and 21 yards by wide out Dawson Myers closed out the scoring for NEO in the last six minutes of the game.